I have no idea if I would find this useful in the long run. However, I don't feel entitled to vote *against* a feature because I might not use it. I can certainly see how this may be useful, and that some users might love it.

The only downside I can think of is that many of us log on from work. While we can take a few minutes here and there to post to a "forum", keeping a "chat" open is crossing the line. I don't think that would kill this entirely, but it might discourage many users (like myself) from using it.

> how would wediscourage people from asking and answering questions there in chat form?

Easy: no rep. If you want to earn points for your q&a, use the correct site!